


the box

by TylahJayne



Series: cliche domestic au [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Genderfluid Dae/Peta, Other, Trans Dave, alpha dave is also trans, dave is a sap, good job!!, its kinda sad, oh hey!! dave grew up in a nice enviroment!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 01:19:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6590875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TylahJayne/pseuds/TylahJayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Wait, isn’t that the box from under your bed? Are you finally gonna open it? There better not be porn in there, if there is I know whose ass to beat and it’s not yours.” You smiled at that, David always had been the better older brother, no matter what Dirk or Davis said.</p><p>“Yes, it’s the elusive box, but it doesn’t have porn in it I swear.” You rolled your eyes and grabbed the box, pulling its lid off once again, and drawing it into your lap. You’d rather go through its contents with your family than anyone else, since you knew there was pictures of family in there too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the box

**== > Your name is DAVE STRIDER and you’ve just found a box of your old photos**

 

They’re old, very old. Probably nearly ten years old, you can see some of them dating back to when you were thirteen, which is interesting. Nearly all of them have your friends in them though, Jade and John and Rose, and a few of your other friends.

It makes your chest clench, because you hadn’t seen them in so long, you didn’t even have most of their numbers anymore, they’d just stopped keeping in contact, and after a while, you’d stopped trying.

It was the sad truth about growing up, you drift apart from the people you once felt the closest too, and soon they’re no longer your friends. You missed then a lot, but you didn’t have their numbers or any way to contact them again, and you’re not sure if they’d even contact you back.

You pushed aside the thought and focus on the box in front of you.  

So here you were, at twenty-two, still living with your older brother because you couldn’t really get a job in town, and because you didn’t need to work. You were living with David, the eldest of the six Striders, who lived in Hollywood because he made shitty movies based off the shitty comic the pair of you had started when you were younger.

He was ok to live with, not messy like the second eldest Derrick; you called him bro for short, since everyone in your family is a lazy shit. Your twin lived with bro, back in Texas or something. You didn’t visit there much, too unhappy memories there. You didn’t go many places anymore, there was no reason too.

You’d started writing a book a few years ago, it was coming along, but it was more fact if anything. Rose would probably kill you if she knew you were writing a book, slap you over the back of your head and tell you that writing was her thing, but she wasn’t here. Dirk, your twin, was great with robots; it was something he and bro bonded over.

Another of your siblings, Davis, looked nearly exactly like you, but he was a hardcore furry, and you hadn’t heard from him in quite a while, he’d never liked you very much, which was understandable. The youngest of your siblings also lived with you, though they were still in high school, they enjoyed hanging around you, and their name depended on how they were feeling, they either went by Dae, or Peta. Pronoun wise, they went with they on Dae days, and she on Peta days. No one in your family minded, and it was quite easy to tell which mood they were in.

You still hadn’t gone through the box when Peta came barrelling through the door, followed closely by David. It was just past five, and you hadn’t realised how long you’d been sitting on the couch practically glaring at the box, Peta set the groceries that she can carrying in, and slung her bag off of her back. She set it down behind the couch before jumping over the back and sitting next to you.

“What’s chilling good looking? Why yah glaring at the box?” She asked, nudging you with her elbow, raising her eyebrow. Peta always knew what mood you were in, and she tried her damned hardest to help. Before you could answer, David sat his fat ass on your other side, and effectively blocked you in on the couch. You didn’t mind though, this shit always happened. That’s what happens when you put the three most affectionate Striders in a house with each other. Cuddle piles.

“Wait, isn’t that the box from under your bed? Are you finally gonna open it? There better not be porn in there, if there is I know whose ass to beat and it’s not yours.” You smiled at that, David always had been the better older brother, no matter what Dirk or Davis said.

“Yes, it’s the elusive box, but it doesn’t have porn in it I swear.” You rolled your eyes and grabbed the box, pulling its lid off once again, and drawing it into your lap. You’d rather go through its contents with your family than anyone else, since you knew there was pictures of family in there too.

“It’s full of photos and random bits and pieces. There’s some of mum and dad in here too I think. I know there’s lots of Peta, because they’re all my photos.” They both nod, and you roll your eyes. David and Peta perk up when you draw the first photo out, it’s a group photo.

“That’s Rose, John and Jade right? I remember them.” David asks, he has this look on his face that you can’t be bothered to decipher. He had always been overly complex, in the exact same way you were, if not worse.

“Yep, I’m pretty sure that we’re all around sixteen when this was taken, so we’d all just started to grow in our selves. If you look closely at me, you can see my binder faintly through my shirt.” You point it out to Peta. She grabbed the photo out of your hands and had a much closer look. “Rose is the lovely lady next to me, she started to grow out her hair again around then, and she used to have it in this super short bob that made her look like a grandma.”

Peta giggled at that, and David rolled his eyes. “This is John, kind of an ass I can’t lie, but he also had a great ass. Anyone who met him could testify to that. Lastly, that’s Jade on the other side of John. She was super loud and kinda pushy, but we loved her. She was like the glue that held us all together, without Jade we’d be a mess.” David is leaning on your shoulder now, no matter how hold he gets he still acts like a child, then again you guess you can’t blame him.

You set the photo aside, and grab the next one out of the box. It’s a simple picture of Rose. You’d taken it when she wasn’t looking, as you always had, but this one was different. Maybe it was the way she presented herself, or maybe it was simply the way she looked at the camera. The photo had been totally accidental, but still you’d caught her in such an intense moment.

You set the photo down and reach for another one. Peta and David don’t press; you think that they know there’s no explanation behind many of these photos. That they’d been taken on a whim and you’d treasured them ever since. This box was like a piece of your heart.

The next photo is one of yourself, in a full-length mirror rocking one of Rose’s more risky dresses. It’d made you feel powerful in a weird way. You’d never understood why clothes needed to be gendered. You were a dude, but did that mean you couldn’t wear a dress? Fuck no. You’d worn it out on the town that night, Rose had accompanied you. It’d been a blast. You recounted the story to Peta and David, who both laughed at your antics. Peta had complimented you, and you’d put the photo down.

You almost didn’t want to pick up the next photo. Your heart hurt looking at it, but still you picked it up. “Her name was Terezi and in some life I think I loved her. She was blind, but it didn’t stop her. She did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She couldn’t be held down and she burned brighter than anyone id met. We didn’t agree on a lot of things, and you bet your ass the things we did agree on were no good.” You could feel yourself tearing up. So, you stopped, and set the photo down.

Peta frown, and pecks you on the cheek before settling into your side and waiting for you to pick up the next photo. No words apart from your own are exchanged, which makes you grateful. You never did well with Derrick, he was a guardian much better suited to Dirk then yourself. Since you were touchy feel-y and had these magical things called fucking boundaries.

The next photo was of you and Rose, and you were kissing. You know which night it was from immediately, and pass the photo on without a second thought. It wasn’t a night you liked to remember. You see Peta frown out of the corner of your eye, but you choose to ignore it. You weren’t going to relive that night if you didn’t need too.

The next photo was a lot safer; it was mom and dad standing with Peta at some obscure café. You’d taken the picture on a good day. It was filled with vibrant colours and crisp lighting. Overall, it was a good picture. You handed it to Peta without a second thought, and kissed her on the forehead. She didn’t have many things to remember mom and dad by, so everyone collectively tried to pass stuff around.

Next was a picture of David. He looked so young and careless. You smiled, and nudged him. “Look at you old man, you’re all young and handsome here.” He smiled and chuckled, rolling his eyes. You put it down in the pile and grabbed the next one.

You immediately wanted to rip it up. It was another one from that night. You resist the urge to rip it, and set it down, before grabbing another one quickly. It was a family photo. All of you, well at least the Strider siblings, this wouldn’t have been too long after they’d passed.

Dirk and Davis looked miserable, you know that it was a mixture of your parents but also because they both hated your photos, and they had been around too many people that day. David looked lost, like a young boy again. Derrick looked scared. Peta was the only one in the photo who was smiling. You were looking off into the distance, and you can still remember what you saw.

You frown and put the photos back in the box. “That’s enough depressing memories for today. Order some food you heathens and put on a movie. It's movie night fuckers.” The tension in the room leaves almost immediately, and they both laughed before agreeing.

**Author's Note:**

> if you like this i highly recommend subscribing to the series
> 
> feel free to drop prompts!


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